Tim Couch

By Brian Windhorst and Brian Windhorst,SPECIAL TO THE SUN | October 22, 2001

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns aren't the Green Bay Packers, and Tim Couch isn't Brett Favre. That being said, the result was the same for the Ravens. After being bested by Favre's heroics last weekend in Green Bay, Ravens coach Brian Billick wasn't counting on such competition yesterday. Though he was complimentary about Couch's progress in his third year in the league, Billick implied that the Ravens weren't facing the same sort of player they faced last week. "Tim Couch is an excellent quarterback, and he's going to have every opportunity to show if he can make those same kind of plays that Brett Favre did," Billick said last week.

Although yesterday's surgery on quarterback Anthony Wright's right shoulder was a success, the result turned out to be the disappointment the Ravens had feared. Wright will be unable to throw a football for the next four months, meaning the Ravens will have to sign a backup quarterback. There was a sliver of hope that Wright's shoulder injury would not keep him out into the season, but that disappeared as surgeons repaired the torn labrum of his throwing arm. The Ravens will likely place Wright on the physically-unable-to-perform list, which would put the sixth-year veteran out the first six weeks of the season.

With Kerry Collins reportedly agreeing to a deal with the Oakland Raiders, the Ravens will look to Kordell Stewart or another soon-to-be released veteran as their backup quarterback. Stewart, the former Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears starter who is 5-0 in Baltimore, would appear to have the inside track on the job at this point. Ravens officials contacted Stewart's agent on Friday, when it was announced Anthony Wright would have surgery on his right shoulder, and believe Stewart's athletic style would fit in an offensive system wrapped around Kyle Boller.

With Kerry Collins reportedly agreeing to a deal with the Oakland Raiders, the Ravens will look to Kordell Stewart or another soon-to-be released veteran as their backup quarterback. Stewart, the former Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears starter who is 5-0 in Baltimore, would appear to have the inside track on the job at this point. Ravens officials contacted Stewart's agent on Friday, when it was announced Anthony Wright would have surgery on his right shoulder, and believe Stewart's athletic style would fit in an offensive system wrapped around Kyle Boller.

Although Chris Redman and Tim Couch have yet to find time to go fishing together, it has been impossible for these homegrown Kentucky quarterbacks to avoid one another on the football field. Whether it's a game of two-hand touch or the NFL's Sunday night showcase, Redman and Couch have competed against each other in high school, college and now the pros. Redman can't predict how this longstanding rivalry with Couch will end, but the Ravens quarterback remembers how it began with his Cleveland Browns counterpart.

Ravens defensive coaches designate an "explosive" offensive play as one over 15 yards. For Sunday's home game against the Cleveland Browns, they may want to move that number up a few notches. Cleveland has scored four passing touchdowns of more than 29 yards the past two games and undoubtedly will try to attack a Ravens pass defense that has bent throughout much of the season (25th in the league) but rarely broken enough to give up the long touchdowns (three over 30 yards, none over 40)

Casey Rabach entered the Ravens' 26-21 victory over the Cleveland Browns in the second quarter for injured center Mike Flynn, and as far as Rabach was concerned, he might as well have been playing guard. Rabach started the first two games at left guard before giving way to Edwin Mulitalo, but he looked just as relaxed at center Sunday night. "Every week I was playing guard, I was preparing in case Mike went down to play center, so it was kind of old hat when I went out there," Rabach said.

NEW YORK -- LaVar Arrington understands the way the Cleveland Browns like to negotiate when they have the No. 1 pick in the draft. "I thought Cleveland was going to take Akili Smith last year and they took Tim Couch. I heard they did a pre-draft deal with Akili Smith and ended up taking Tim Couch. You never know what's going to happen," he said yesterday at a pre-game luncheon for five of the top prospects in this year's college draft, which opens at noon today. The Browns used Smith as leverage to get a draft deal done with Couch hours before the draft started last year, for a signing bonus of $12.25 million.

The quarterback of tomorrow is learning on the job in the NFL today.He is Tim Couch, who prepped for the Cleveland Browns by running Kentucky's multiple-motion offense.He is Donovan McNabb, better known for his option skills at Syracuse, but who will be pressed into action with the Philadelphia Eagles because of his passing potential.He is Akili Smith, who dazzled the Cincinnati Bengals with a meteoric rise at Oregon.He is Daunte Culpepper, who will tutor with the Minnesota Vikings after dominating inferior opponents at Central Florida.

Money talks and players walk in the NFL. For a variety of reasons, most of them having to do with losing, there could be some surprising names dumped into the available quarterback pool this off-season. At least three quarterbacks who were starters at the beginning of the season appear destined for new ZIP codes in 2003. Two more former golden boys could be gone, as well. Here's the roll call, from most likely to leave to least likely, with career records in parentheses. Kordell Stewart (47-31)

By Brian Windhorst and Brian Windhorst,SPECIAL TO THE SUN | December 21, 2002

BEREA, Ohio - There have been helmet throws, answered Hail Marys, blocked field goals, dropped passes, spectacular catches, controversial replays and a mix of both bitter and sweet overtimes. They've had three euphoric plane rides home after victories over New Orleans, Tennessee and Jacksonville. And they've heard home fans boo intensely after losses to Carolina, the Ravens and Indianapolis. The franchise player - quarterback Tim Couch - cursed out the faithful to the media after the loss to the Ravens.

Ravens defensive coaches designate an "explosive" offensive play as one over 15 yards. For Sunday's home game against the Cleveland Browns, they may want to move that number up a few notches. Cleveland has scored four passing touchdowns of more than 29 yards the past two games and undoubtedly will try to attack a Ravens pass defense that has bent throughout much of the season (25th in the league) but rarely broken enough to give up the long touchdowns (three over 30 yards, none over 40)

Casey Rabach entered the Ravens' 26-21 victory over the Cleveland Browns in the second quarter for injured center Mike Flynn, and as far as Rabach was concerned, he might as well have been playing guard. Rabach started the first two games at left guard before giving way to Edwin Mulitalo, but he looked just as relaxed at center Sunday night. "Every week I was playing guard, I was preparing in case Mike went down to play center, so it was kind of old hat when I went out there," Rabach said.

Although Chris Redman and Tim Couch have yet to find time to go fishing together, it has been impossible for these homegrown Kentucky quarterbacks to avoid one another on the football field. Whether it's a game of two-hand touch or the NFL's Sunday night showcase, Redman and Couch have competed against each other in high school, college and now the pros. Redman can't predict how this longstanding rivalry with Couch will end, but the Ravens quarterback remembers how it began with his Cleveland Browns counterpart.

By Brian Windhorst and Brian Windhorst,SPECIAL TO THE SUN | December 21, 2002

BEREA, Ohio - There have been helmet throws, answered Hail Marys, blocked field goals, dropped passes, spectacular catches, controversial replays and a mix of both bitter and sweet overtimes. They've had three euphoric plane rides home after victories over New Orleans, Tennessee and Jacksonville. And they've heard home fans boo intensely after losses to Carolina, the Ravens and Indianapolis. The franchise player - quarterback Tim Couch - cursed out the faithful to the media after the loss to the Ravens.

Tim Couch had a touch of a virus yesterday and the entire Cleveland Browns' team had a sick look. Couch, the first pick in the collegiate draft last April, looked like a struggling rookie quarterback as he completed nine of 21 passes for 57 yards before he was yanked in the fourth quarter for the first time in his athletic career in the 41-9 loss to the Ravens.Although neither Couch nor coach Chris Palmer mentioned it, backup quarterback Ty Detmer...

By Brian Windhorst and Brian Windhorst,SPECIAL TO THE SUN | October 22, 2001

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns aren't the Green Bay Packers, and Tim Couch isn't Brett Favre. That being said, the result was the same for the Ravens. After being bested by Favre's heroics last weekend in Green Bay, Ravens coach Brian Billick wasn't counting on such competition yesterday. Though he was complimentary about Couch's progress in his third year in the league, Billick implied that the Ravens weren't facing the same sort of player they faced last week. "Tim Couch is an excellent quarterback, and he's going to have every opportunity to show if he can make those same kind of plays that Brett Favre did," Billick said last week.

By Brian Windhorst and Brian Windhorst,SPECIAL TO THE SUN | October 20, 2001

BEREA, Ohio - Kevin Johnson had to feel as abandoned as a dot-com stock. The Browns' top receiver, who - along with quarterback Tim Couch - was tabbed the "franchise" just two years ago, was being disrespected by coaches and national publications just a few weeks ago. When Butch Davis took over as Browns head coach before the start of this season, one of his first orders of business was revamping the team's offensive depth chart. The targets were the offensive line, which has been gutted since the start of training camp, and the receivers.